Types of North American Water Frogs

American Bullfrog

• This frog is the largest type of frog in North America. Normally they grow to around 4 to 8 inches long or more and are brown or green colored. They can be found in many places but seem to love medium to large pools of water, like ponds, lakes and marshes. They reside as far north as Nova Scotia, Canada and as far south as Mexico. Anything that will fit in their mouth seems to be in their diet. They especially like to eat fish, snakes, birds and insects.

Green Frog

• Green frogs grow to around 3 inches long and are normally brown or green with ridges running down their backs. They can be found in the shallow waters of streams, ditches, ponds and lakes in the eastern part of the United States. The green frog dines on tadpoles, insects and spiders normally. Female green frogs can lay up to 1,000 to 4,000 eggs on the surface of water.

Tailed Frog

• The tailed frog is a smaller frog that normally only grows to around 2 inches and lives in cold streams located in the mountains in the northwestern part of the United States. They are normally a dark brown color on the back and lighter on the front. The male tailed frog is different than most frogs because it has reproductive organs that resemble a tail. Tailed frogs are primitive and one of only a few types of frogs anywhere that have internal fertilization for reproduction.

River Frog

• River frogs are found in the southeastern areas of the United States and grow to around 3 to 5 inches long. Their coloring is usually dark brown or greenish black. You can find this type of frog normally in river swamps and along the shores of bayous and ponds. They are nocturnal amphibians that breed from around April to August.

Blanchard's Cricket Frog

• At only 1 1/2 inches long, the Blanchard's cricket frog is one of the smallest members of its frog family. Colors can vary from gray, tan, green and brown. Every one of these frogs will have a dark triangle between their eyes. You can normally find them in ponds, along the edge of ponds and rivers, and along gravel bars. Breeding usually takes place from April to July, at which time they can be heard making a "gick, gick, gick" sound.